A big thanks to this local bakery who gave free bread to motorists stuck in traffic on Interstate 95 for more than 30 hours already.
These motorists have been stranded in a chilly traffic jam in Virginia for more than 30 hours already. Sadly, there were pets and kids stuck in other cars. The temperature that night dropped into the 20s. They were all famished, drained, and thirsty. Unfortunately, they also had no choice but to spend the entire night in their vehicles.
Heavy snowfall, jack-knifed tractor-trailers, and four inches of ice made it challenging for the rescue teams to come through.
Casey and John Noe, a couple from Maryland, were stuck in the jam. “It was definitely, a very scary situation, and we had no idea how long we would be there for,” they told WBAL.
Then, Casey saw Schmidt Baking Company’s truck stranded with them as well. What they did next was very surprising!
The couple called the company’s customer service and asked if it would be possible to open the truck and give loaves of bread to the stuck motorists. Twenty minutes later, Casey was shocked to receive a call from no other than the owner of the baking company. Chuck Paterakis, the owner of Baltimore-based H&S Bakery, advised the truck’s driver, Ron Hill, to open up the back and give free bread to them.
The Noe couple, together with Hill, braved the frosty weather and delivered the loaves of bread and rolls to the hungry drivers and their passengers.
“We just kept giving it out until we couldn’t walk anymore because it was so freezing,” the Noe couple told NBC affiliate WBAL. “It felt incredible just hearing people say thank you and hearing people just so relieved to finally have food in their car, food in their system and in their kids’ system. It was a really incredible feeling.”
They have distributed 300 packages of rolls and loaves of bread in about an hour, Washington Post reported. They gave food to passengers in more than 50 cars. Other people also helped pass out the rolls.
“I’m so pleased that the people who were hungry, that hadn’t eaten for the past 24 hours, had a chance, even if it was bread, had the chance to fill their stomachs up. It was very gratifying to me. It was something I will always remember,” Paterakis told WBAL.
“This company is incredible. This bread truck was on the way to being delivered. The company definitely could have made a profit off the bread but instead chose to help the people around them,” Casey told WBAL-TV, “That is just so incredible that someone chose humanity over profit, especially in a situation that people were so desperate.”
“This was one of the kindest moments I have ever witnessed,” Casey wrote on her Facebook post.
This is an incredible thank you to Schmidt Baking Company for your humanity and compassion.
After almost 21 hours of…
Posted by Casey Holihan Noe on Tuesday, 4 January 2022
When the incident happened, the couple was headed to Newport, North Carolina. They are about to say goodbye to their family before John leaves for Germany for his U.S. Air Force assignment.
May the Lord richly bless Chuck Paterakis and his company. They will undoubtedly reap the seeds of generosity they have sown.